The Opelousas courier., 1887-12-03


f poant fresh in the minds Of enc people Of
vh hns free Gen iaSor d haIs n been Be- qpn asg eRFgPil s Q
So often been explained that "a ITO It Ought iti to H bs
clear to the dqlless Comprehension.
ley Ihe 9 seT OF tn the 5 hgg5siaRsurSs Of 1854 giving
been STACKED. and 1 have been held foS
strict responsibility for it; The act itselE
enactment show the wisdom Of the Lsgists.
ture. i was unanimously reported By the
committee on leyees. Irea1y knew nothing
OF the bill until it was passed, Lo printed
copy having been made and furnished me-.
bill:
In tho House-Armstrong of Sublime, Armstrong
Caspari, Cassidy, Claiborne. 6oulon: HGrier, DsYis
Of East Baton Rouge, Downing, E!dridse, Eitzs
ang, Hawkins, Henry Of oriesns, Hudson, Hun
ter, Johnson, Kennedy. OF Orleans, Lacey, La
smf Gss, M he 4 lt sfnFdoc fA Mnrph N1ss sScui ni9ng15,
PGG$$s}yi PRICE &C. Pritfnar3, Pr9Pgost' w itaTsSp' SWs sYY'
ca And in e, ths sop Psm aA0{ Est BpfsGhn fS SatasFy,
Hampton, Jones. Jqlnel, Kavanaugi,. ker, Mont
eomery, Moore, Robson, SHINES, Smart, Smith,
Strickland, Toby, Vance. Total =.
From the above vote it will be seen THAI
many reformers voted for this muel-abused
law, which the reform orators and papers
LOW 81 IGGuiig dSitOtISG.
1t is with some dltiidence that L cfltlclsa
GOV. NICHOLS ADMINISTRATION.
His friends resent any temperate criticism,
as an indlgnlty against him. There IS
nothing in the speech l dedyered at skreYe-
port of q personal nature. But one of nay
friends, going to the morning mass meet
ing, met one of Gen. Nichols ardent I'D.
mirers. He was full Of emotion, almost
with evident grief: Coy, McEnery Is up
yonder abusing Gen. Nichols for every
thing. He ought not to Say anything against
that good man. Nobody ought TO say any
thing againa5 that pure man.
Now don't intend to say anything against
Gen; Nichols. l entertain too high a re-
motives. But his public acts, his policy in
the past, and in the absence of any declared
policy for the future, his past public utter
ances and his official life are legitimate SUBJ
iects for temperate CRITICISM,
What policy does he proclaim for his future
course? None. He confines himself 70 q
defense of his appointments, ten years after
they were made; he goes to the dead past
and endeavors to Feviyelt. My criticism on
this statement is in the interest OF history
and to oo 90 ]u n s &c to s9s our p of Pbs n 1ilef severn " 1n
accusation, L think, against the manhood
and courage and intelligence, OF our people.
But | have said enough on this SUBJECT, l
believe, to vindicate our people from these
severe aspersions.
He declaims aesiast personal government
z and prescription. We have shown this to be
} unfounded and we have located the personal
3 ism and prescription in the ranks of the re-
> formers, as manifested by their Own course,
!. by the declarations of their newspapers, and
| by the famous letter Of Col. Hollingsworth
to Senator Jonas. Had been more personal
: the list of my supporters holding Office would
. be larger and the ranks of the opposition to
ID Gen. Nichols would be larger. But he di-
I vides the party into twe,very unequal parts
t one containing all the virtue and intelligence
: of the party and the other the otiice-hold-
: ers. He is the first one who has made this
g division. 1t was not known before he made
: tVJs declaration and then set out on his pill
/ grimage to convince the people that ffa ne wf T
his course likely to smooth the asper1tles or
party animoslty, or to do away with the Bit
terness Of disappointment lie has organ
lied separate clubs, called separate, meetings
and denounced the present State admln1stra-
ton as unworthy of the confidence OF the
people. His committee, through
F. c. ~zAcHAR1E,
t in a circular address to the Democrats of East
: Feliciana, has said of the supporters OF the
. State administration, who, if they are not OF
the 'purest and thabea:, have yet to learn
!. Of any proven accusation against their 10y.
. atty to the party or against the integrity OF
: 'hs aN c1I measure 't of fraud or Whence or
!: chieanery is too Low or too base for them TO
! resort to- and he styles them as the office
holding clique struggling to prolong their
power" He is q typical reformer. Like other
reform orators he is nothing unless imagina-
u defeat of the reformers in Catahoula by in
timidation and by the cutting and wounding
Of two Of the Nichols Leaders,! This ig COM
V plimentary of Catahoula. Is it possible that
3 in a parish with the large white .population,of
a Catahoula, that the majority, as he claims,
being largely for Nichols, could thus beso
8 easily inundated and defeated?
It th-erefor6Reems in view Of Gen Nicholls'
7 peculiar campaign and the extraordinary
' utterances OF his campaign committee, thss
! he should really as 4sya believe TIA That nv ne IS n called db aS
can unity it. The fact is that Gen. Nichols
and his immediate friends in New Orleans
are the only ones who have ever waged var
upon the party and attempted to disrupt It.
n The persistent effort to have the appolntees
of Gov. Witt turned out Of office for no other
cause than that they were friends OF that
the Huna-St. Martin campaign, and the ex.
All traordinary campaign now being conducted
'ie| by them, and the distinct and unusual name
z and dmplete evidence Of this fact. OF late
l. they object to the namSof 'reformers;n BUS
it is to be found in all their campaign hters-
1t letter TO Jonas, and in the Picaguge, their OIL
cial and recognized journal.
But what do these ''reformers" want to
:, reform? The Democratic party2 vii. they
say the party is corrupt Do they simply
y II 50. o
II N WHAT PARTICULAR
te The ieyee system is acknowledged to be
ee better than for many years. Do they. propose
j. to change the system and again ffood the
State? The financial condition of the State
re has improved. No intelligent man will deny
is this. What do they propose to do ia the mat
10 ter of the finances? Change the presf2t sys-
70 tenn and again resort to the system ofBroker-
Is age in warrants, reduce the value d bonds
N and destroy the acknowledged SUCCESSFUL the
policy adopted and established By this adj
# In the matter of education, although
there 10 much yet TO accomplish, the fact IL
D. that we have made under adverse clreum-
s. stances rapid progress. What dc the, re-
g. formers propose to do in this matter-close
te the schools as was threatened in 1879 and
sd close the doors of educational institutions Z
ID In agricultural education we have advanced
ct materially, and l have no doubt a more In
81 t~elligent method OF farming Is now pursued
d. than ever before. What do they intend TODD
c. In relation to agricultural interests? De-
q stroy the Department. of Agriculture in our
e. university, abandon our agricultural Sta
,u lions and.abolish oufBureau OF Agriculture 2
oy In the Halter OF quarantine p sanitary
a. regulations we have introduced the most en-
e. lightened system known to the world, IN the
II. full belief, warranted by years OF successful
experiment, that we can keep epldemles from
II 4 Smoag sr Us t6 by r res nay q going Gag to eo Do about
rt quarantine7 Destroy our system, AND
he through want of skill. efficiency and careful
d. observation again desolate the state as I.
is prosperity, immigration from the. Western
H. States is coming to Louisiana. what is 10
ct be done in this matter-.destroy our pros
MT periiy and drive away this influx OF thrifty
n and e~nterprislng farrners2
ne But the reformers. say they are opposed TO
of the principles and policy and p~ractiees OF
he the present State Administration Nn4G
he have been its principles2 Defnocratlc. IL
OF has hewed to the line of q strict Denlocrahe
course. Democrats are IL office, worthy ana
as qualified, and appointed, too, because they
AS longing 10 this or that wing Of the party.
re The record shows this; The poHcy o. ING
Is. present administration has been progressive